What is a tributary and distributory?

A2A. Tributaries are those 'relatively smaller' rivers which get merged with a major/bigger river. A river many have a number of tributaries on its course of travel towards the Ocean/Sea. read more

A tributary and a distributary are both bodies of freshwater that eventually meet with or diverge from rivers, but they differ in the direction that they flow. A tributary is a stream that flows into a larger river. read more

A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. They are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary is a tributary. read more

Now coming to your question a Tributary is a stream flow in to the large stream/river.And increase the water volume of the main river. Distributary is a strean /river which flows away from a large river. read more